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More than a third of US population, from Midwest to East Coast, under air quality alerts from Canadian wildfire smoke

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:24 GMT

(CNN) — More than third of the US population is under air quality alerts, covering more than a dozen states from the Midwest to the East Coast, as smoke from Canadian wildfires sweeps across parts of the United States, prompting officials to call on the public to take safety precautions just weeks after similar wildfire smoke blanketed the Northeast.Over 120 million people are under the alerts and some of the worst air quality, which is classified as “very unhealthy,” is centered over the Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit and Indianapolis metro areas. Some improvement in the air quality is expected on Thursday, particularly over the Great Lakes area, where rain and storms will help cleanse the air.Canada is seeing its worst fire season on record as hundreds of blazes rage across the country – with more than 250 burning “out of control,” according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.As massive clouds of smoke cross into the US, air quality alerts have been issued for the entire ...

Madonna recovering from ‘serious bacterial infection,’ postpones Celebration world tour

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:24 GMT

(CNN) — Madonna is taking time to heal after a health scare, which will postpone at least some of her Celebration world tour that had been set to commence next month.In a post shared to his verified Instagram, Guy Oseary, Madonna’s longtime manager, shared that she “developed a serious bacterial infection which led to a several day stay in the ICU” on Saturday.“Her health is improving, however she is still under medical care. A full recovery is expected,” Oseary continued.“At this time we need to pause all commitments, which includes the tour,” he added. “We will share more details with you as soon as we have them, including a new start date for the tour in for rescheduled shows.”Madonna’s next tour, titled the Celebration tour, was scheduled to kick off July 15 in Vancouver, Canada, followed by two dates in Seattle starting on July 18. The tour was set to continue throughout the United States and Canada through early October, before heading to Europe.Madonna also added supplem...

Police raid Eva Kaili’s properties in Athens

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:24 GMT

ATHENS — Greek and Belgian authorities raided three properties connected to Eva Kaili in Athens, Greek police told POLITICO.A Belgian prosecutor, along with Greek and Belgian financial police, executed a European order for an investigation by Belgian prosecutors as part of the ongoing Qatargate probe, in which the Greek MEP is a key suspect, involving bags of cash and foreign bribery allegations at the European Parliament.Authorities carried out several searches in and around Athens at Kaili’s house, the house of her sister, Mantalena, and at a property where Kaili and her partner Francesco Giorgi, also a suspect, own a real estate firm, said two Greek police officials, who were granted anonymity as they are not authorized to speak to media.Mantalena Kaili was not immediately available for comment. The Belgian authorities declined to comment.Once the search began at Kaili’s sister’s house, her lawyer in Greece, Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, was notified. He was then present ...

Bulgaria will invite Dutch and Austrian customs experts to help secure Schengen entry

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:24 GMT

BRUSSELS — Bulgaria will invite Dutch and Austrian customs “experts” to observe operations at the Turkish border to try to ease concerns that are impeding its bid to join the Schengen passport-free travel area, Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov told POLITICO on Wednesday.Denkov identified Austria and the Netherlands as the two key skeptics on Bulgaria’s entry to Schengen, and said he would hold meetings with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer on Thursday to address their concerns. These largely focus on migration, particularly at the notoriously problematic Turkish-Bulgarian border, which has long been a major transit point for smuggling people, narcotics and arms from the Middle East into Europe. “We will try to involve as much as possible the partners from Austria and the Netherlands so they can see what is at the border, because it’s not easy there,” said Denkov, who was in Brussels for the first time this ...

Parents enraged as former Tyngsboro day care worker appears in court on child porn charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:24 GMT

A former day care worker appeared in court Wednesday in connection with a child pornography case, officials said. Lindsay Groves, 38, of Hudson, New Hampshire. is accused of taking nude pictures of children at the Creative Minds Early Learning Centers daycare in Tyngsboro, where she was an employee. Parents were crying and shouting after seeing Lindsay Groves appear in federal court in Boston.“I hope she gets the maximum, and I hope that every kid gets the justice that is deserved,” said Rosemary Denommee, whose daughter went to the day care. “As a concerned parent, we just all hope that she is just taken down.”From May 2022 to June of this year, the US Attorney’s Office said Groves allegedly took nude pictures of children during routine diaper changes and bathroom breaks and sent the photos to someone she was previously in an intimate relationship with. Nashua police later announced the arrest of Stacie Laughton, a former New Hampshire state representative, in the case.Pa...

Endangered sea turtles released back into wild after months of treatment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:24 GMT

Four critically endangered sea turtles are back in the ocean Wednesday morning.They were in the care at the New England Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital in Quincy for hypothermia-related conditions after being cold-stunned late last year.Following months of treatment, the Kemp’s ridley sea turtles made their way back into Nantucket Sound where the water recently became warm enough for the turtles.

Franklin Fire Department responds after crane collapses onto home

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:24 GMT

Emergency crews responded in Franklin Wednesday after a crane collapsed onto a house in town.The incident happened on Michelle’s Way. The Franklin Fire Department shared an update around 3:10 p.m., showing a photo of the crane with its arm resting on top of the home. Part of nearby Bent Street was blocked at the time, according to the fire department. SKY7-HD was over the scene around 4 p.m., capturing video of multiple other cranes in place around the toppled crane. At least one nearby tree also appeared to be damaged.In a statement, Franklin Deputy Fire Chief Joseph Barbieri said crews were first notified of the incident around 1:50 p.m. Barbieri said the fire department remained on scene as of 4:30 p.m., adding that another crane company had been called in “to assist with the removal.” No further information was immediately available.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Kristian Winfield: All eyes on Ben Simmons’ contract as Nets head into free agency with big financial questions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:24 GMT

If the Nets aren’t making a move that firmly puts them back in the championship hunt, they will have to make some difficult decisions to ensure they do not broach the second apron, a new addition to the collective bargaining agreement that stiffens penalties for teams with an exorbitant payroll.Teams that spend in excess of $180 million in player salaries this season — like the Phoenix Suns, and their new core four of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Deandre Ayton — will be met with severe roster-building handicaps with implications that span multiple seasons.The handicaps include the inability to trade a draft pick seven years out, the inability to use a mid-level exception, the inability to receive more incoming salary than outgoing in a trade, and the inability to sign a player whose contract worth $12.2 million or more was bought-out.It’s exactly why a team like the Atlanta Hawks straight-up dumped John Collins, who was on the hook for another...

Missile kills 11 in a popular Ukrainian pizza parlor as Russia’s aerial barrage continues

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:24 GMT

By HANNA ARHIROVA (Associated Press)KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian authorities on Wednesday arrested a man they accused of helping Russia direct a missile strike that killed at least 11 people, including three teenagers, at a popular pizza restaurant in eastern Ukraine.The Tuesday evening attack on Kramatorsk wounded 61 other people, Ukraine’s National Police said. It was the latest bombardment of a Ukrainian city, a tactic Russia has used heavily in the 16-month-old war.The strike, and others across Ukraine late Tuesday and early Wednesday, indicated that the Kremlin is not easing its aerial onslaught, despite political and military turmoil at home after a short-lived armed uprising in Russia last weekend.There has been no apparent military push by Ukraine to exploit that turmoil, though the government has been tight-lipped about recent battlefield developments as it seeks to gain momentum in its recently launched counteroffensive.The Kremlin reeled from the weekend mut...

Boston opioid overdose deaths rise 7%, fentanyl and ‘tranq’ found in the drug supply

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:24 GMT

More than 350 people in Boston died from opioid overdoses last year, a nearly 7% increase as health officials remind residents about fentanyl in the drug supply and the dangers of opioid use.The Boston Public Health Commission also noted that the animal tranquilizer xylazine, known as “tranq,” has been found in the local drug supply and the powerful sedative leads to a higher risk of overdosing.Last week, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported that Bay State fatal opioid overdoses hit a record-high last year. There were 2,357 confirmed and estimated opioid-related overdose deaths in the state last year, surpassing the previous peak in 2021 by 57 deaths. That’s a 2.5% increase year-over-year.In Boston, 352 people died from opioid overdoses last year, a nearly 7% increase from 2021 (330 total deaths). From 2019 to 2022, Boston experienced a 36% increase in opioid-related deaths, more than twice the statewide rate of increase (16%) over the same time p...